Cleanup for Port Angeles Mill Could Set Tacoma Up For Success at WestRock

The Rayonier pulp mill in Port Angeles left a legacy of pollution that continues to harm the health, environment, and cultural heritage of nearby communities. Even though over 30,000 tons of heavily contaminated material have been removed since its closure in 1997, there is still so much work left to be done. But this is about more than cleaning up one site—it’s about how we handle accountability for toxic contamination, especially in communities that have been disproportionately impacted by industrial pollution. What happens at Rayonier could very well influence our ability to push for a full and complete cleanup at our own recently closed mill—Westrock, Tacoma.

For more than 60 years, Rayonier operated as a major pulp and paper facility, discharging toxic pollutants—including dioxins, PCBs, and heavy metals—into Port Angeles Harbor and the surrounding area. These toxins contaminated the soil, groundwater, and marine ecosystems, harming fishing communities, the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, and the city of Port Angeles itself. Just look at the confirmed contaminants below!

Source: Department of Ecology Toxics Cleanup Program – Rayonier Mill Fact Sheet

Over the decades since its closure, there have been multiple investigations and interim cleanups, yet none provided a permanent solution. Even with some contamination removed, toxics remain buried under the waterfront and continue to impact community health and the environment. In fact, most of the cleanup alternatives from Ecology’s Interim Action Plan focus on capping the contamination—burying it under a layer of new soil. As many of us know, this quick fix doesn’t properly safeguard communities in the long run. Caps require constant monitoring and maintenance to ensure that toxics are contained, signing up future generations to manage the risks posed by these dangerous substances.

After WestRock closed in 2023, it began moving through Washington’s environmental cleanup law, the Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA). While MTCA is a vital tool for communities and advocates, it can be extremely slow moving. For context, Rayonier has been implementing partial cleanup actions since 1993 and is still actively moving through MTCA. Now, over three decades later, Rayonier’s Cleanup Alternative S-5 proposes a full excavation and cleanup of sediments impacted by pollution at Rayonier, likely with support from Tacoma’s rail lines to manage and transport the excavated material to a proper facility in Oregon.

It will be important that we stand with Port Angeles in pushing for the type of thorough and robust cleanup we want to see here for WestRock. If Ecology allows Rayonier to simply cap the contamination and leave toxic waste buried on-site, it will send a dangerous message to polluters: that they can get away with leaving behind toxic waste as long as it’s “contained.” Instead, we can let Ecology know that only a complete cleanup and environmental restoration actually respects the communities impacted by pollution.

We need your voice to make sure Ecology understands that we won’t accept less than a full cleanup—whether it’s at Rayonier in Port Angeles or WestRock in Tacoma.

Here’s how you can make a difference:

Resources to help you submit your comment:

This cleanup is more than just one site—it’s about setting the standard for how Washington State handles toxic pollution and protects the health and future of its communities. Together, we can ensure that Port Angeles and Tacoma don’t inherit toxic waste for future generations.